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satisfy a long-felt want and will add greatly to the usefulness of the library. Th« monthly library acquisition list has been expanded in order to mention specifically tht more important papers appearing in the meteorological literature as well as the journals in which they appear. The library has also dealt with many requests from the general public for information covering a wide range of subjects, and it appears that this public relations aspect ol library service is likely to increase in future years. Publications. —In addition to the regular appearance each month of climatological data in the New Zealand Gazette, the following publications were issued by the Meteorological Service during the year under review : (а) Meteorological Office Notes.—These publications contain the results of meteorological research work which is not of an over-specialized nature, so that the information is often of considerable value to New Zealand scientists working outside the field of meteorology. They are reprinted from the New Zealand Journal of Science and Technology. During the year, issue No. 31, " Temperatures associated with Rainfall in New Zealand," by F. Bondy and C. J. Seelye, was published. (б) Technical Information Circulars.—ln order to supplement the library material circulated to branch meteorological offices, extracts or abstracts of the more important meteorological papers are cyclostyled and issued for retention by branches as N.Z.M.O. Technical Information Circulars. During this year ten circulars, Nos. 46 to 55, were issued. (c) Circular Notes. —To promote local investigations and to improve the standard of forecasting and observing throughout the Service, members of the staff are encouraged to prepare notes of local interest and significance. These are cyclostyled and issued within the Meteorological Service as N.Z.M.O. Circular Notes, of which four, Nos. 42 to 45, were issued during the year. (d) Instructional Circulars.—These cover necessary instructions to branch offices ; twenty-one circulars, Nos. 71 to 91, were issued during the year. Staff During the year there has been no improvement in the staff position and the Service has continued to operate well below the approved establishment. The comparative position is shown in the following table :

Of the thirty-three professional officers, three are Pan-American Airways Co. forecasters on temporary attachment to the Service and four are junior officers still under training. The above table does not include the Native meteorological observers provided by local Administrations in the Pacific islands area. Because of the high incidence of shift work in the Meteorological Service, the recent decision of the Public Service Commission to pay penal rates for work performed on Saturday afternoons and Sundays has been a source of great satisfaction and should help very materially in our efforts to recruit additional staff. Almost all the work in the Meteorological Service continues twenty-four hours a day seven days a week, and

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—- Establishment. Strength at 31st March. 194S. Strength at ;ilst March, 1947. Professional officers Observers 48 139 36 114 32 123